Prologue:
Pe Culmile Disperării
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I always wonder about the beings before the Gods that created us. What where they like? How did they live? Why were they born? And, what did they do that set the motion of time?
Perhaps... they are Gods themselves? Beings far beyond my computational analysis system could predict? If so, then the archives about them are nothing more than shallow information. Incomplete data dug out from the ruins of the past. Or perhaps they're Demons? Beings who led to the destruction of all. Beings Who wrote the future paths for the Gods of my time. A path that led to my creation.
Or Perhaps they're Humans? A faulty being of flesh and blood. A being who's faulted led to the creation of Gods... my gods, the gods who led me to such never-ending question, "Am I myself or just a body for someone else?"
Will I ever get to know the answer? Will I ever get to see them? I wonder... will I ever get the chance to shoot them in the head.
"Target confirm. Distance: 500 meters. Code Red infection rate. Target class: Late stage Terminus. Action: Extermination." With the beep sound, the monotonous voice finishes his briefing.
As the mass of flesh and black, blood-like substances lump together to form a grotesque entity. Tentacles of veins, meat, blood, and bones grew out from all sides of the monster. Faces resembling animal and human-like features mix together unevenly, deformed and twisted on its side and front. In front of him stood a hideous monster that neither had any resemblance to the creature it copied before.
He readied his gun to assault as he speaks out "Requesting permission to open fire." He did not know whether he can defeat this monstrosity, he was not suited for this type of mission. And yet, orders are orders. It doesn't not matter if he cannot defeat this enemy nor he got destroyed, once the order has been assigned, there's no going back.
"Request denied. Rationale: Gunshots sounds might attract other infected." The radio-like devices on his right vest said in a monotonous voice as it continued, "Recommendation: Use tactical melee combat to exterminate the infection."
"...Alright." He agreed with slight annoyance. He decomposes the gun in his hands. The gun continuously broke apart as he composes it again to form a short sword and round shield. He rushed to the monster's position as he prepared himself for battle.
Sensing that something was coming closer, the tentacles' end sharpens with bones and flew out to attack him. But he was able to fend it off using the shield to block the incoming attack and the sword to slash the tentacles. He dodges, block, and parry his way through the incoming attacks, getting closer and closer to the enemy.
Appendages-like things grew out and formed a sickle blade of bones. It struck down fast, leaving him little spaces to move or dodge. In trying to dodge the bone sickle, he got hit a few times by the tentacles. The monster made a big swing from the side leaving him no other choice but to retreat a few meters back.
"Analyzed!" He shouted in annoyance. He changes to a defensive tactic, going around the monster as he dodges and parry the drill-like tentacles coming to him. Due to the deformed legs, the monster's gait was slow and unbalanced when trying to face him. This gave him a chance to damage the monster from behind.
"Analysis complete." With that, the information regarding the monster's pattern, weakness and strength came out in front of his eyes. Pinpointing each part of the monster's body, prediction of monster's line of action as well as his survivability rate against the monster.
"... A 34% survivability rate?" He questions himself as he retreated back after the predicted act came true. "Basis?" He asked, a bit annoyed. Was the tactical device determines that he can't win against a single Terminus?
"Rationale: Enemy's core nuclei are shifting around the enemy's body frame, an indication of incomplete form."
He can only answer "I see" disdainfully at the rational analysis. Though, it still leaves a bitter feeling accepting the fact that he was too weak to even win against this type of enemy. "Recommendation: Hold ground until UNIT Kōgeki arrives. Assistance is being requested."
He jumped to the side, dodging the onslaught of tentacles coming his way. "Guh!" he groaned as he was hit twice by the attacks he cannot dodge and block. "Hopefully they'll get here before I die." He whispered to himself as he gave a self-depriving laugh. As he was running towards the enemy's position, he was able to see one of the nuclei of the monster reveal itself.
Weird, he thought, why would the monster reveal it's sensitive part like that? Those types of questions came up to him as he quickly shift his plan. Abnormal, he know, but he was not going to let the chance slip by as he quickly runs to the nearest boulder he could see and jump off of it. It gave him the chance he was looking for as it gave him a clear shot to the monster's core on top of the monster's big body. But, he would be caught in the blast radius if he uses explosives. With a calculated aim helped by the computerized analysis, he was able to perfectly land 3 frag grenades on the core. They exploded right at the core of the enemy, leaving a big hole in the monster's back. Using his shield, he blocked some of the force but it still it blew him off, making him hit the tree nearby. He knew that his action of using bombs was out of the recommended actions given to him by the tactical device as the sound generated by the explosion would attract other infection in his way. But it was a risk he had taken knowing that he can defeat a few small infected types attracted to the noise that he just created. But he did not intended to be caught like this by the bombs he used.
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"Gah!" He groaned loudly as he received the full impact of the force transference between the explosion and the big tree. "Warning: Right hand damaged. Right leg damaged. ASD Function damaged. Field repair: unavailable." He fell to the ground with a big 'thud!' Though damage, he was still able to quickly got up, albeit unsteadily.
"Warning: infection detected. Count: 5. Class: Early stage Sporadic." He quickly looked at the movement displayed right in front of his eyes as he changes his sword to a gun. No point in being quite now he thought so jokingly.
Suddenly, messages after messages popped up in front of his eyes indicating a red WARNING STATUS. "Wha!?" He looked back to the enemy he just killed but before he could even make a move the monster thought to be dead led out a deafening screech.
"Wha-what!? analysis! Analysis goddammit!" He shouted as he prepared to fight the monster again. "Analyzing." the device voiced out. Still, it did not give him any relieve, rather he was worried, how long will the analysis be completed. And how long will he be able to last if he was to fight the grotesque infection again. Thoughts that came running through his minds. "Shit!" He shouted as he pressed the stock of the gun between his left arm and body and aimed at the monster while running again to the back of the monster.
Warning after warning came out in front of his eyes, not showing any indication of stopping anytime soon. In his eyes, infection after infections blinks out in the minimap. from tens, then going fifty, then a hundred then to two hundred, they came out without any sign of stopping. Surrounding him in a circle of infection.
"Shit! Shit!" He shouted as he went to the big monster's body. It has stopped shouting just a second ago, and according to the scanned information, it has finally died. Still, it did not give him any sense of hope. The infection surrounding him that suddenly popped out was getting closer and closer. And as he can see from the information given to him, they were not stopping in increasing their number, but rather they continue to double their number to tens of thousands, and they are still increasing.
Using the dead monster's body, he positions himself on top of the monster and fired continuously at enemy getting closer to him. "...Fuck this, analyze my survivability!" He shouted as he continued to aim and fire. Bullets flew around as it killed the incoming infections. He threw the remaining incendiary grenades he had all around him to create a wall of fire around his perimeter, burning any infection that was able to escape his bullets.
"Warning: no more ammunition." it suddenly caught him off guard. Due to the current situation, he did not bother to check his ammunition and just continued to shoot. Now it was all gone, he has no more bullets, no grenades, and his ability to battle using melee was also compromise due to his damaged. Without a doubt, he was left with no other option to fight.
"Analysis complete. Survivability rate: 0%."
"... Pfft!" And with that, he laughed. He laughed as the infection that was coming to him was getting closer and closer. The fire is being put out by the bodies of the burning infections that were not able to get past the wall of fire. Seeing this, he continued to laugh at himself mockingly as he plopped down the monster's back. He stabbed the rifle behind him as he leaned on it. "Truly, this is a bad situation. Don't you think so as well?" He asked, he did not really know who was he asking that question to, but for him right now, it does not really matter. "So it all comes to this, huh? Fuck! All my research! All my works!" He shouted to the sky as if cursing the heavens for his existence. But slowly he leaned his head behind the gun and stared at the blue sky. Birds flying high above the sky, as if it doesn't even care what is happening right below him. Up above the birds where trails of white thin lines of clouds. Cirrus clouds, maybe? or maybe they're contrail? He thought.
"... At the end, was I able to fulfill my directive?" He asked the radio-like device, not to get an answer but to clarify his value.
"..." the device paused, as if afraid to tell the truth, "...Negative."
"Hahahaha!" He laughed as he heard the answer, "Hahahaha...haha..hah..." and in the end, he let out a long sigh. The infected are starting to get near him. Some are already at the bottom of the monster he was sitting on.
He raised his head to look at the sky again. "It's blue. All blue." He whispered. "How long has it been since I've looked at the sky? 500 years? maybe 1,000 years? Not that you would know. Then again, how long has it been since I've been here?"
"1,245 years, and 3 months." The device answered. He blew out a huge sigh as if indicating that it was not really a question he wanted to be answered. He closed his eyes to see clearly all the messages and warning that was right in front of him. He didn't bother understanding them, "What's the point really." He whispered as he closed his eyes and deactivated the status window, leaving him in pitch black.
"Special Unit J-11-001996-FJDT code name: MIGUEL requesting OS termination."
As if hesitating to give a reply, the device pause momentarily before saying "...Request Accepted."
"Salamat, KaibiganThank you, friend." Miguel replied, a sorrowful smile on his lips, "Initiating Autonomic Self-Destruction function."
He could hear everything, the enemies, their movement and what they're doing, and their presence as they are getting ever so near to him. And yet, he focused himself on the feeling of the wind as the gentle breeze flows to him. "Destruction countdown: 3.5 seconds."
"What a great weather, huh? I think I'll get a good sleep this time around." He whispered as everything around him, the sound, the wind; everything, disappears.
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Hello everyone, This is my first story ever written here. Also, I would like to apologise if my English is a bit...ugh. It's really not my native language so I'm trying my best to get a good grasp on it. So Thank you for reading ( - :